A farmer painted a sign advertising puppies for sale and was nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the eyes of a little boy. “Mister,” he said. “I want to buy one of your puppies.” “Well,” said the farmer, “these puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money.” The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer. “I’ve got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?” “Sure,” said the farmer. And with that he let out a whistle. “Here, Dolly!” Out from the doghouse ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur. The little boy pressed his face against the chain-link fence. His eyes danced with delight.
As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring in the doghouse. Slowly another little ball appeared; this one noticeably smaller. In a somewhat awkward manner the little puppy began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up. This was clearly the runt of the litter. “I want that one,” said the boy pointing to the runt. The farmer knelt down at the boy’s side and said, “Son, you don’t want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would.” With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up the leg of his trousers. In doing so, he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg and attaching itself to a specially made shoe. Looking back up at the farmer, he said, “You see, sir, I don’t run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands.”
Each one of us needs that same sort of understanding! Praise the Lord that we worship a God who understands us for who we are despite what we do, what we say, and what we think – and still loves us anyway (sinners that we are). God knows what we are made of and He knows what we face in our day-to-day lives. As we look at the portrait John paints of Jesus in the Gospel (John 8:1-11) we see that he paints a picture of a sympathetic Savior. He doesn’t tell us of a God who is soft on sin, but of one who loves sinners and reaches out to them in grace, forgiveness and love.
We witnessed the adulterous woman, left alone with Jesus after the confrontation. There was no protest by her. She was not playing the victim and blaming anyone or anything else. And Jesus does not question her truth. But it’s her meekness and acceptance of her shameful situation that results in her being forgiven. What a beautiful example for us of vulnerability – a complete and total abandonment to the will of God. What a powerful Lenten example for us to emulate as men and women of faith.
And we also witnessed the viciousness of the scribes and Pharisees. They were not treating this woman as a person, not even as an animal but as a thing. Can we not relate to this situation in our own world, our government, and even in our own behavior? Are we not guilty of throwing stones? Think about it:
- When we bully or gossip about someone so that it makes them feel weak, intimidated and completely helpless: we throw a stone.
- When we make judgments about someone because of the color of their skin, or their religious beliefs and practices: we throw a stone.
- When we criticize, belittle, or speak harshly of another because they’re not like us: we throw a stone.
- When we are filled with anger, resentment, and a thirst for vengeance toward others: we throw a stone.
It’s time for us to let go of the stones that we grasp in our hands! Our call is to do as Jesus did…..to offer support, comfort, solace, compassion, hope and love. We are called to work for the dignity of every person so that each one of us experiences reverence and dignity as a son or daughter of Christ.
We have this Lenten season to renew ourselves: to become whole, centered, balanced, and to continue our journey inward – our journey toward finding God within each one of us. We are to reflect on a God who loves us so unconditionally that he is closer to us than our own skin – never turning away from us no matter what. We are to reaffirm our belief that we stand in the presence of an awesome and forgiving God. That is what we should be doing during Lent. So I have to ask: how is that working for you?
If you’re like me, perhaps your Lenten journey has not been progressing as you had originally hoped. Maybe you still seek an opportunity that moves you to that next step – to be able to disconnect from the things that keep us from connecting with God.
If you are seeking such an opportunity, I want to invite to you something we call Adore and Worship. It’s this Wednesday at 7pm here in the church. And we gather together as people of God, broken as we are, to come together to reconnect with God in song, prayer, and silence. We have a talented group of singers and musicians who will create an atmosphere to help us find God within. And we do this through the gift of Catholic Christian contemporary music. I invite you to join me for this amazing and powerful spiritual experience; for an opportunity for us to empty ourselves so that we can be filled by our amazing and loving God.
The woman in the Gospel made a free choice to be responsible for her sin. So let us ask God to open our eyes so that we too can see the Light. We plead that God removes the sense of guilt that burdens us when we condemn and judge others and ourselves. We pray for the freedom of forgiveness so that we can be opened to a new life of love and compassion. And we ask for the strength to be more understanding of others, realizing that all of us make judgments. But let us notice when we do it, and then think about seeing the other person through the eyes of Jesus. For then we will be able to drop the stones in our lives and be completely transformed by our understanding God.
